Uruguay Hosts Bukele’s No. 2, Who Denies Security Talks

URUGUAY · POLITICS

El Salvador’s Vice President said Uruguay never asked about Bukele’s tough-on-crime model, as Montevideo stressed trade, technology and regional diplomacy.

El Salvador’s Vice President Félix Ulloa met Uruguay’s President Yamandú Orsi in Montevideo on Wednesday, 7 October. Ulloa said afterwards that the pair never discussed the Bukele model, El Salvador’s tough-on-crime approach under President Nayib Bukele.

The visit has a US angle: Bukele joined President Donald Trump’s anti-cartel Shield of the Americas summit near Miami in March. Orsi, head of a centre-left government, was not among the 12 regional leaders there, the Salvadoran daily El Diario de Hoy reported.

What Ulloa Said About the Bukele Model

Asked whether Orsi showed interest in the Salvadoran model, Ulloa replied, “No, not at all,” according to the Montevideo broadcaster Teledoce. He said Uruguay “has its own institutions and will know how to deal with its problem.”

“There was no question about that, absolutely none,” he said of the security model. “Public security is not a topic on the agenda,” he added.

Ulloa said El Salvador would offer technical assistance or share its methodology if Uruguay ever asked. He said other countries had already made similar requests.

The Montevideo daily la diaria reported that Ulloa described the subject as touched on only “at the level of possibilities.”

Ulloa defended El Salvador’s state of exception, the emergency regime the country uses against street gangs. He said it suspends two guarantees: the usual three-day limit on administrative detention, now 15 days, and the privacy of correspondence.

“It is not that anyone is captured at random; there is a protocol for arrests,” Ulloa said. Human rights groups say thousands of those detained are innocent, the Montevideo newspaper El Observador noted.

Trade, Technology and a Regional Bloc

Uruguay’s presidency said the meeting took place on Wednesday afternoon at the Torre Ejecutiva, the president’s office tower in central Montevideo. Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin and Presidency Secretary Alejandro Sánchez also attended.

Lubetkin said El Salvador has significant investments in Uruguay, mainly in food and pharmaceuticals. He cited progress on artificial intelligence and technology, more balanced bilateral trade and tourism cooperation.

The regional agenda was the reason for the trip, according to the presidency. Uruguay currently holds the rotating presidency of CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

The 33-member bloc excludes the United States and Canada. Lubetkin called El Salvador “enormous backing” for Uruguay inside CELAC.

He listed the selection of the next UN Secretary-General, economic development, democratic stability and security as shared regional topics. Ulloa said: “With Uruguay holding the presidency, we as a country want to strengthen, support and accompany Uruguay’s initiatives.”

During the trip, Ulloa is due to sign a two-year memorandum with ITC, the consulting arm of state telecom company Antel. He signs as rector of El Salvador’s Escuela Superior de Innovación en Administración Pública, a public-administration school.

La diaria said his tour began on Tuesday and included lawmakers and the Congreso de Intendentes, Uruguay’s body of departmental governors.

The presidency said Ulloa would also tour Uruguay’s new National AI Centre and visit the department of Colonia.

Why the Bukele Model Divides Uruguay

Orsi comes from the Broad Front, Uruguay’s governing centre-left coalition, and took office in March 2025. In November 2025 he called Bukele’s approach “an example to analyse,” stressing he meant neither praise nor criticism, Montevideo Portal reported.

He later said applying the model in Uruguay would be “impossible” and “unacceptable,” El Observador recalled. In November 2025, Interior Minister Carlos Negro said the goal was “a Uruguay model” suited to the country.

Parts of the opposition are more open. Senator Andrés Ojeda, secretary general of the centre-right Colorado Party, says there are “things to learn” from Bukele, the weekly Búsqueda reported.

Most of Uruguay’s political class sees the model as inapplicable because it requires a state of exception, Búsqueda noted.

What It Means for You

For Washington, the visit shows Bukele’s government building ties with a centre-left government whose president was not at Trump’s anti-cartel summit. Both sides kept the public focus on trade, technology and CELAC rather than security cooperation.

For investors, Uruguay’s presidency pointed to existing Salvadoran stakes in food and pharmaceuticals but gave no figures. The planned memorandum with Antel’s consultancy runs for two years, and its content was not published.

For travellers, nothing changes. Uruguay announced no shift in policing, and Ulloa’s offer of security assistance remains hypothetical.

Lubetkin’s mention of the UN Secretary-General race touches US interests. The UN Security Council, where the United States holds a veto, recommends the winning candidate.

What Is Not Known

Neither government published a joint statement. El Salvador’s presidency had posted no account of the meeting by Thursday morning.

Uruguay’s presidency gave no value for Salvadoran investments or for bilateral trade. The text of the ITC memorandum, and whether it has been signed, was not available.

It is unclear how far security featured in the talks. Ulloa ruled it out, while Lubetkin listed it among regional topics.

What Comes Next

Ulloa was due to meet former President Julio María Sanguinetti and Senator Ojeda at noon on Thursday, 8 October. Búsqueda said the meeting at Sanguinetti’s home would focus on fighting crime, citing party sources.

Sanguinetti, a Colorado Party leader, was Uruguay’s president from 1985 to 1990 and from 1995 to 2000. The visit does not mean Uruguay will adopt Bukele’s methods, and no official announced any request for Salvadoran assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Félix Ulloa?

Félix Ulloa is El Salvador’s vice president, serving alongside President Nayib Bukele since 2019. He is also rector of a Salvadoran public-administration school and is in Uruguay on an official visit.

Did Uruguay agree to adopt the Bukele model?

No. Ulloa said the model was not discussed, and Orsi has said applying it in Uruguay would be impossible and unacceptable.

What is CELAC?

CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, groups 33 countries of the region without the United States and Canada. Uruguay currently holds its rotating presidency.

Why does this visit matter to the United States?

Bukele attended President Donald Trump’s anti-cartel Shield of the Americas summit in March, while Uruguay’s president did not attend. Montevideo kept the talks with his deputy on trade, technology and regional diplomacy.

What happens next?

Ulloa was due to meet Colorado Party figures Julio María Sanguinetti and Andrés Ojeda on Thursday, 8 October. He is also expected to sign a two-year memorandum with ITC, the consultancy of state telecom company Antel.

Sources: Presidencia de la República, Uruguay; Presidencia de El Salvador, Vicepresidencia; The White House; Teledoce; la diaria; Búsqueda; El Observador; Montevideo Portal; Montevideo Portal (November 2025); El Diario de Hoy (all accessed 8 October 2026).